Is garlic safe for dogs?
Garlic in appropriate amounts is perfectly fine for dogs. Like many things, garlic in large amounts can certainly lead to toxicity, but the amounts we add to our food are well below levels that can cause issues and is very safe and beneficial.
When it comes to the controversy regarding garlic, this is because it belongs to the Allium family and it contains a substance called thiosulphate, the ingestion of which has been known to be harmful to dogs. The key though, is in the quantity required to do any harm. In fact, there have been studies that show that a 34 kg Labrador would need to eat five full heads of garlic or about 75 cloves of garlic in each meal before there would be any adverse effect on the red blood cells. Similarly, a dog weighing a mere 4.5kg would need to eat 25 grams of garlic – about half an entire head of garlic, or about 6 to 8 garlic cloves in every meal to experience any adverse effects.
Dogs Naturally Magazine has an interesting article on this topic for further reading here.
And Dr Nicole Rous busts this myth about garlic and others in this article here.
Related FAQs
What is a raw food diet?
Raw food diets by definition are diets comprised of nothing but raw food. These can take many forms and the most popular of these is a BARF diet. BARF stands for biologically appropriate raw food or bones and raw food. This dietary model is based on the evolutionary diet animals would have eaten in the wild. Evolutionary raw diets are made up of fresh raw meat, offal, crushed meaty bones, vegetables, fruits and other healthy ingredients.
For more information on a Raw food diet for dogs – visit, “Evolution for dogs and a species appropriate diet”
Raw food diets are different for dogs and cats as they have different and unique dietary requirements.
All Big Dog raw diets are 100% natural, no synthetic vitamins and minerals, artificial chemicals, colours, flavours or preservatives are present. All Big Dog diets are raw and uncooked to best preserve the quality and nutritional value of the proteins.
Check out the Big Dog product range for dogs and cats here.
Can my dog get sick eating raw meat?
Nature always intended dogs to eat raw foods, hence their bodies are biologically adept to process a raw diet, along with the naturally occurring bacteria. The acidic pH of their stomach and accompanying short digestive tract assists passing of pathogens, without any health concerns. To be safe please ensure proper storage and handling methods are followed to avoid development of harmful bacteria. For more information on bacteria and raw food, visit – Bacteria And Raw Food.
Bacteria in pet food - beneficial bacteria with Dr. Duncan
Read about Big Dog Pet Foods quality and safety here.
Can I mix kibble and raw together?
Yes! You absolutely can co-feed kibble and raw. In fact, if your dog was on a kibble diet beforehand, mixing kibble and raw is how we recommend they transition over 10 - 12 days. This helps to ensure they have time to get used to the introduction of raw food into their diet. If you wanted to read more about transitioning your pet, read this.
We believe that any inclusion of raw food into your pets diet will benefit them however, if you’d prefer to feed a mixture of diets on an on-going basis, also known as co-feeding, ensure to adjust the feeding portions to reflect this.
For example if you choose to split your pet’s diet into 50% of a Big Dog diet and 50% of another diet, we advise to only feed half the recommended feeding portion for each diet.
For dogs and cats that have more sensitive stomachs, their diet can still consist of a raw diet and a kibble diet however if you notice any issues it could be advised to feed these two diets at different time, for example feed raw in the morning and their other diet at night, or vice-versa.
I’ve recently transitioned my dog to a raw food diet and I've noticed my dog drinks less water. Is this because of the food?
Because Big Dog food is made using 100% natural raw ingredients our food is naturally high in moisture, approximately 70%. In comparison, dry pet food has only around 10% moisture content. If your dog or cat has recently transitioned to a raw diet, they will have increased their water intake significantly, simply via food alone. This is one of many reasons raw food is great for kidney health. It is not unusual for pets on a raw diet to drink less water and if they are healthy, energetic and have normal toileting habits, then it is not a cause for concern. However, if they seem unwell, or if you notice unusual toileting behaviour (such as passing urine more often, or in inappropriate places), get them checked by your vet.
Cats in particular benefit from having more moisture in their diet. They do not have a high thirst drive, and struggle to drink enough water on a dry diet to keep them adequately hydrated.